It's been a while....

but here goes. I feel a bit rusty...I've not done much writing lately. But that's not to say I've not done much thinking. On the contrary, it seems the deeper the thoughts, the harder they are to express. For the last several weeks, life has been a happy, albeit dizzying, blur of vacationing, wedding, beloved house guests, (family and power outage refugees!), and play rehearsals, with a turn at teaching Daniel's preschool thrown in just for fun. While doing the dishes today, my mind was full of thoughts of appreciation for the other mom's who teach at preschool and the different personalities they bring to the classroom. Each of those moms holds a piece to the jigsaw puzzle that is Daniel's life, because I believe that God uses the people around us to teach us something we need to know about ourselves, something useful for life. In my life it looks like fresh inspiration and rest found in the home of a dear friend and sis-in-law in Florida, or the sense of belonging and servant heart in the home of my beloved Grandma, where helping with practical needs was the language of love. It's a shoulder to cry on, a word of encouragement, constructive criticism and silent understanding from the dearest of friends. We are always giving, always receiving. I give of my home and energy, I receive love and encouragement...And a hand at making eggs ( thanks Jenn!), not my strongest culinary skill. There are things I'm not so good at, that others find simple. And things I love to do that others dread. We need each other.

"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; or again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you."

1 Corinthians 12:14-21

I say again, we need each other. No one is dispensable, no, not one. We are all part of the Body of Christ--even the ones who don't know it yet!

Over these weeks I've given time, energy, money, ideas, resources, and friendship. I've received inspiration, rest, encouragement, a new sis-in-law, a new perspective, a deeper understanding of God's love for people, provision for needs and renewing of resources, a rich sense of community and a sense of joy as my family works together toward the common goal of blessing people.

Are you having trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?

Maybe I have the eyes you need.

Am I having trouble hearing the Good News?

Maybe you are the ears I need.

Does someone have a bad taste in their mouth?

Maybe she can help them taste and see that the Lord is Good.

Is someone weary and stumbling?

Maybe he has the hands to steady them and keep them from falling.

Maybe we have the feet to keep them on solid ground.

We need each other.

Love you all...

we're off to visit loved ones and perhaps visit the horse capital of the world!

Sometimes...

a mom's just got to yell. As in, raise the voice to levels that are sufficient to get the attention of boys who don't seem to hear me otherwise, in certain situations. I know pleasant words are like a honeycomb and you catch more flies with honey than vinegar..useful for winning hearts and building souls...but there are times when I'm trying to repel a behaviour, sin, if you will...and I feel like Gandalf when he sticks his staff in the ground and yells, "You shall not pass!" There are times when politeness is just not gonna work. So, I did a little yelling today. And although I did apologize afterward, I think my message got through loud and clear (literally).

:>)

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

Andrew is home from Mexico. He finally walked through our front door at 3:30 am. He was tired, and full of stories, and glad to be home. The kids want to go down and jump on him this morning. I think I'll give him another hour or two....I'm thankful he had the chance to go see another culture and exercise some spiritual muscles...and I'm thankful he's home again.

The birth of an animal lover

You know, I 've never been much of an animal lover. Even as a young girl, I never fawned over kittens and puppies, and horses never held any magical appeal. In fact, they have always been kind of scary to me. I loved one dog growing up. Her name was Buttons, an ugly poodle mix we rescued from the pound. She slept on my bed and I felt real affection for her. When she died, I never connected with another dog, or cat for that matter, and other people's pets just annoyed me. Emma is just the opposite. For all of her young life she has been crazy about animals. Dogs and horses especially. She'll look at books, she'll daydream, play pretend and beg for her own. We decided that maybe it was time for us to get her a dog last summer. We agreed, anything but a beagle. And then Ken surprised us with Sassy, a cute little black ball of fun. And yes, you guessed it, a beagle (black lab mix). I decided then and there that this dog was going to be a blessing to me and my family if it was the last thing I ever did. And after spending time training her and even praying for her, I can say I feel affection toward her like I did toward Buttons. She's a part of the family now.
Enter the horses. Today was our second lesson, and I was not nearly as nervous this time. I was even excited and happy to see Dayo. As I brushed her at the end of the lesson, I discovered some of that magical appeal that horses have for Emma. The personality and the sense of friendship I had with this horse surprised me. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to learn about these beautful animals with my daughter.
She'll make an animal lover out of me yet.

Random thoughts

**The sunset last night was gorgeous. Andrew would have loved it. He frequently will run outside to get a picture of the beauty outside our window, but he's in Mexico City right now, praying for people and sharing the Gospel. We miss him very much and pray that God uses him in powerful ways to touch the people in Mexico. The kids tell me every day how much they miss Andrew. Not having a teenager at home decreases the intensity of the home environment by at least 50%, which is restful and boring at the same time. I can't wait for Andrew to come back.

**I know God is not surprised by the election results. I know the hearts of our leaders are in His hands. I know that God can surround our President Elect with Godly men and women who will give him Godly advice. I know that now, more than ever, we need to pray for our leaders and our country. I do wonder, though, if things would have been different if the major network media were not so biased. How many times did you hear how bad the economy was and how low the President's approval rating was? How long can you hear those things before you start thinking "we need a change?" And I wonder, too, if it's just a matter of the person with the most money being able to buy their way to the White House with air time and mailings and paid door to door people.

**Colossians 3:14 says,

"And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."

Love is like superglue. And it works because love keeps no record of wrongs. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love is patient, kind and humble. Love forgives and hopes. Love puts other's interests ahead of our own. It is the perfect thing to keep us together. Cue music, "Love will keep us together..." Who sang that song? Cher? Captain and Tenille? It's been running through my head for two days now. Anyway....When there is love even on one end of a relationship, it will always bring you back together in spite of hurt or anger. And there can always be love. Because it has nothing to do with feelings...we choose to love. Isn't it interesting that we can put on love? Like it's a garment we can wear? What does a garment do? It covers vulnerable areas of the body, protects us from the elements and bugs and injuries, decorates and beautifies our body, identifies, (like a uniform on a policeman, or matching t-shirts on a family or group). "They will know we are Christians by our love." Our garment of love gives us identity and strengthens us with unity (a cord of many strands is not easily broken, 1 can route a thousand, 2 can route 10,000, etc.)

And that's all.

Your vote counts...

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday.
If you need a ride...give me a call.
If you need a sitter...give me a call.
If you don't know who to vote for...give me a call. :>)
Your vote counts.